Huh...how did this get confused?

[Chris_Doane]

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=132112

[Robert Hall]

Hmmm...makes me wonder how practical a road trip of 1000 (or 100) miles in a Volt would be..

[Intrepidation]

[Northstar]

That is how I always understood it... once the battery runs out the gas engine comes on and produces the electricity but doesn't give you more charge.

So people thought that meant that when the battery ran out the gas engine came on and recharged the battery and powered the car at the same time?

It does essentially recharge the battery, but only to the point that you have enough electrical power to keep the car going.

[hyperv6]

As I under stood GM fromt he start this never was to recharge till plugged in.

They said after the battery runs dead the engine runs the electric motors like a train. The small engine would be at a constant RPM and supply electric to let the car continue at a sfficent MPG rate.

GM's concept was most people drive to work daily drive less than 40 miles rounds trip. In this case mose owners would never get to the gas in a weeks commute to works.

I think many just assumed it recharged.

GM said long ago the engine was much like the train engine technology they have built for years.

[balthazar]

I have not read up on the Volt's technology, but in every car on the road a rotating gas motor spins an alternator that recharges the battery as it runs, what is precluding the same set-up on the Volt? Far too much capacity for an alternator to supply?

[Drew Dowdell]

That's just dumb.....

... so I've driven 40 miles... and now I'm stuck in traffic. The gasoline motor is still running but not doing anything other than creeping me along at 5mph when it could be using that excess energy to recharge the batteries.

Sorry, if this is true, GM just lost me on the Volt.

[Northstar]

I am guessing in that case the battery does get recharged slightly, but I doubt the gas engine can recharge it fast enough to really gain any sort of meaningful charge. If the charge is all used up and the gas engine comes on to "charge" it while you drive, it's really not charging it at all because you probably use the charge as fast as it is made.

[Drew Dowdell]

I am guessing in that case the battery does get recharged slightly, but I doubt the gas engine can recharge it fast enough to really gain any sort of meaningful charge. If the charge is all used up and the gas engine comes on to "charge" it while you drive, it's really not charging it at all because you probably use the charge as fast as it is made.

I would imagine that depends on the speed you're traveling. What about regenerative braking?

[Northstar]

I would imagine that depends on the speed you're traveling. What about regenerative braking?

I don't know if we ever heard whether or not the Volt uses that, but it sure would seem like a good idea.

I can't imagine GM would simply just decide that charging the battery through the gas engine and by regenerative braking were bad ideas, there must be some reason it cannot be recharged. Perhaps it has to do with the battery's size and that they shut off at 50% power.

[EMan]

I just don't see what everyone is complaining about. If the car still has a +/- 400 mile range, who cares if the engine recharges the battery, or just provides power to the motor(s).

Can some one just enlighten on this?

[PurdueGuy]

You guys are overlooking something.

It would be wasteful and dumb for the engine to fully recharge the batteries.

Once the batteries are depleted to the set level, it's just like a hybrid car. It's still going to turn the engine on/off as it needs to, and use electric as it needs to. The engine isn't going to sit there and run and not charge the batteries, but once the batteries are at a certain threshold, it's not going to keep running the engine and FURTHER recharging the batteries. How dumb would that be? You get home at night, go to plug in your car, and find the gas engine already recharged the batteries.

FULLY RECHARGING THE BATTERIES WITH A GASOLINE ENGINE COMPLETELY CONTRADICTS THE POINT OF A PLUG-IN HYBRID.

Edited September 24, 2008 by PurdueGuy

[siegen]

The article does have one point though. If you don't make small <40 mile trips, you are hauling around a whole lot of useless weight. The Volt is a short commuter car, for going to/from work and to the store, and that is all. I am still very curious to know what mileage the Volt gets without the battery charged up.

[PurdueGuy]

The article does have one point though. If you don't make small <40 mile trips, you are hauling around a whole lot of useless weight. The Volt is a short commuter car, for going to/from work and to the store, and that is all. I am still very curious to know what mileage the Volt gets without the battery charged up.

I agree, someone who does a lot of highway driving is likely to be better off with a standard, fuel-efficient ICE vehicle, or maybe a standard or mild hybrid, or even better, a diesel. The Volt should be fine for occasional long trips - I doubt it's mileage will be bad after the initial 40 miles, just not as good as it could be with a smaller battery pack.

[Drew Dowdell]

You guys are overlooking something.

It would be wasteful and dumb for the engine to fully recharge the batteries.

Once the batteries are depleted to the set level, it's just like a hybrid car. It's still going to turn the engine on/off as it needs to, and use electric as it needs to. The engine isn't going to sit there and run and not charge the batteries, but once the batteries are at a certain threshold, it's not going to keep running the engine and FURTHER recharging the batteries. How dumb would that be? You get home at night, go to plug in your car, and find the gas engine already recharged the batteries.

FULLY RECHARGING THE BATTERIES WITH A GASOLINE ENGINE COMPLETELY CONTRADICTS THE POINT OF A PLUG-IN HYBRID.

Wasn't there an article about a week ago saying that the GPS was going to calculate how far from home you were and only recharge you enough just to get you home?